Cessna A185F accident near Loveland, Colorado, February 7, 2000
On February 7, 2000 at about 7:15 pm local time, a Cessna A185F, registered N721, was substantially damaged in an accident near Loveland, Colorado (Fort Collins-Loveland Mun airport). It was an instructional flight under public-use (government) rules. 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Failure of the pilot in command to maintain directional control, resulting in an inadvertent ground loop. A factor was the crosswind.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 7, 2000 · about 7:15 pm local time
- Place
- Loveland, Colorado · Fort Collins-Loveland Mun · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna A185F · all A185Fs on the register
- Registration
- N721 · registry record · serial 18502795
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · public-use (government) rules
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor, seated in the right seat (who was not current in the airplane), had been giving the commercial (first) pilot, seated in the left seat, a biennial flight review (BFR). At the conclusion of the BFR, it was agreed that the flight instructor would make a full stop landing. A normal approach to runway 15 was flown in a 'moderate' right crosswind (5 to 10 knot, variable). A full stall landing was made with a slight crab into the crosswind. The tail wheel touched down first, followed by the main gear. The airplane then veered right and ground looped. The left main landing gear collapsed, and the airplane came to a halt off the right side of runway 15.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,200 hours in all; 3,700 in this make and model; 45 in the last 90 days; 40 in the last 30 days; 4,030 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,929 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, December 30, 1999; 105 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BJC Broomfield CO at 5:30 pm
- Destination: FNL
- Runway 15, 8,500 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 19°F (-7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:55 pm from FNL
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 1 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number DEN00TA049.